After a practice in early August, weeks before Long Beach State women’s soccer played its first match of the season, the goal for the upcoming season was already clear.
“We want to win the Big West and go to the national tournament,” said forward Kim Silos.
Nearly three months later, LBSU will have a chance to complete that goal this weekend, as it hosts the Big West Tournament this Friday and Sunday with the winner receiving an automatic bid into the NSCAA Tournament.
Looking back at the 2006 campaign, this season has been the most successful in LBSU soccer history.
The 49ers have broken a number of team and individual records.
LBSU won 14 matches this year, two more than it did last year. The 49ers haven’t just beat up on college soccer minnows, but have beat talented squads like Oregon, University of San Francisco, Gonzaga, UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Fullerton, and all of those victories were on the road.
The 49ers have been stifling on defense. With Liz Ramos in goal, LBSU broke its shutout record with 13 this season, and has a goals against average of 0.57 as a team.
On an individual level, Ramos hasn’t just broken team records, but also conference records. Her 0.55 goals against average is the lowest of any goalkeeper in the history of the Big West, and her 11 shutouts ties the record by a Big West goalkeeper.
In the field, Silos has been the most productive offensive force in LBSU history.
The sophomore broke the LBSU season record in assists with eight, points with 26 and nearly broke her own record for goals with nine (Silos had 10 in 2005).
In only two years, Silos is already the career record-holder in goals (19), assists (13), points (51) and game-winning goals (10).
Although she hasn’t smashed records like Ramos and Silos, midfielder Hayley Bolt might have had the strongest season of any 49er player.
Bolt scored eight goals and dished out four assists, but her importance to the team never became more apparent than on Sunday. She sat out the match, nursing an injured left ankle, and without Bolt, LBSU lost 3-0 to seventh-place UC Riverside.
But Bolt is expected to be back for the Big West Tournament this weekend and with her presence, along with the contributions of Ramos and Silos, hopefully LBSU will be celebrating a Big West championship Sunday night.
